Life
by DA Whisper
Summary: One-shot. Daryl struggles with some news Carol tell's him and almost loses more than he thought he had. { Sorry sucky sum R&R Please..}


She stood facing the gate watching, waiting. She knew he should be pulling up any minute. She strained her ears to hear the sound of his bike. The birds were chirping, but there was no roar of an engine. She was getting annoyed. She'd been standing there all morning hoping and praying, thinking over and over again that she should have gone.

Why'd she stay behind? Was washing laundry and cooking for the others more important than having his back? Was that the real reason she'd stayed behind or was it because she was avoiding the "Talk"? (The talk where she admitted why she'd been avoiding him.)

Why every time he looked at her, she averted her eyes; something to the right always caught her attention. What was so important that she couldn't look at him? Why she always felt fear creeping up inside her every time he almost caught her alone. And the look of relief when someone walked into the room before he had the chance to ask her what was going on.

What was going on? Funny, it was what wasn't going on that was the problem. What hadn't happened yet that was the problem.

She was three weeks late. She was in her 40's and late. She laughed a little standing there. It had to be a joke. It took her years to get pregnant with Sophie. She'd slept with Daryl all of five times and bam, she's pregnant.

She shook her head. It wasn't funny. It was scary having a child in this world. Judy was a testament to that; the overwhelming fear of a walker getting its nasty hands on her, the fear of having to leave the prison, and her every cry a dinner bell, having another little one to worry about.

And then there was Daryl himself. He was a moving Fort Knox when she'd met him. He still was, to most of the group. He wasn't as bad as he was before. You could look at him and give a friendly smile and he'd all but be in your face demanding to know what you were thinking. Now he was one of the first people to offer a hand, to put his life on the line for the group.

He nearly died getting Glenn and Maggie back. Of course, once he knew Merle was alive his objective changed. Once Maggie and Glenn were found he opted to stay behind and cover their backs. Soon after, he took off and was caught beaten and pitted against his brother. Of course he left with his brother after Rick and the others went back for them. He'd just gotten his brother back after months of thinking he was dead. He left.

She knew she was pregnant when he had taken off. The pain of knowing she was going to go at that alone floored her. She knew she had the others but the memory of Lori was fresh in her mind and hearing Rick say he was gone and wasn't coming back, she almost threw up right there. She went to the guard tower and cried. She cried so hard she thought she wouldn't breathe again.

She lay on the floor after catching her breath and the pain in her chest eased. She went to Hershel next and talked with him.

He was shocked. He knew her and Daryl had gotten close during the winter but he would never had expected they were that close.

He was kind and gentle and eased some of her fears; he promised to keep it between them for a while longer.

She was depressed, but the impending doom gave her an excuse to not think about it.

Then there was Rick. He was losing his mind. The death of his wife was the last straw in his very brittle hat. The stress of Lori being pregnant and fighting tooth and nail to get through winter just for her to die in the one safe place they'd ever had was too much. And then Phillip and his people came along: it would be too much for any one.

But one day, out of the blue, Rick was in one of his little bubbles of crazy and there he was, cross bow and all, saving Rick from being eaten by a few walkers. Merle was there doing what he did best; little to nothing useful.

Her heart nearly jumped out of her mouth when she rushed the gate to let them in.

She felt amazing. He was back, that's all she could think as she watched him, Rick, and Merle walk through the gate

He's back!

So much happened after that; Andrea had come back for a moment. She was trying so hard to pull everyone together, but in the end she did what everybody else wanted to do; she killed Phillip.

After he put her in that room, after he did unspeakable things to her. He untied her, let her broken body fall to the floor.

He turned his back and she grabbed a knife and stabbed him. In the back through his heart and lung and let him bleed out.

She said he looked at her as he fell. His eyes asked why? Like she had betrayed him.

She came back. She was taken in and treated for her wounds. They gave her Judy who was such a little helper. That baby did what no one else could; healed her broken heart and soul.

Days had gone by and peace was made with Woodbury after that devil of a man wasn't around to taint things.

Now she had no excuse to not tell Daryl and soon she was going to start to show.

She was small as it was so the baby bump would get harder to hide. And Daryl's not a dumb man he'd put two and two together and be so angry she hadn't told him.

She was going to tell him that night after he got back.

She was going to get him away from Merle and spill everything.

That she was carrying his child. That she'd been for weeks. That she was scared to tell him, scared that he wouldn't want this child.

But she was going to and she was ready for him to tell her he was leaving.

She knew he wasn't that kind of man but she had to be ready just the same.

When she heard the bike she walked to the padlock ready to unlock the gate. She watched as he drove past her. His eyes were hard like stone. He was angry with her. She rushed to close the gate and walked towards him. Sitting there, the bike idling. He was waiting for her. Mad or not, he cared.

She climbed on the back and he drove up to the main area and parked. She climbed off and grabbed the catch he'd brought back; nothing big.

He snatched it from her and handed it to Carl. She looked surprised and hurt.

"Yer' coming with me. We got shit to talk about."

He took her by the hand and dragged her to the tower. He slammed the door and pulled her up the stairs and slammed that door.

She held her breath.

"What n' the hell is going on here?"

She was still holding her breath, panic in her eyes.

"Well, ain't you gonna talk or you gonna look at me like a deer in head lights woman? Speak! Please. "

Her heart sank.

Here goes nothing.

"I …err I'm... Well, I'm pregnant. "

_Phew_, she said it.

His face lost all its color and his eyes nearly bulged out his sockets.

"I'm sorry? Come again?"

Daryl paced back and forth. The prison was just barely in sight from where he was walking. He'd bolted shortly after Carol broke the news that she was pregnant.

Ugh…. Pregnant! He scrubbed his face with his hands.

He was in panic mode and all he wanted to do is go hunting. But he couldn't focus on tracking.

He heard a twig snap behind him. One swift motion and he pulled his bow in front aimed, and fired a bolt into a walker's eye.

He watched as its limp body crumbled to the ground.

He heard another snap. He reloaded his bow and shot another bolt killing another walker.

A moment later he saw four more walkers in the distance headed his way so he grabbed the two bolts in the dead walkers and headed back to the prison.

He stopped at the tree line. Carol was pacing in front of the gate, her hand gently rubbing her stomach.

A tight feeling grabbed hold of his own stomach. Something he'd never felt before.

He watched as a walker rushed the fence startling her. She jumped back and pulled her knife out. The one he'd given her.

Before she could step forward and take care of the walker, he fired his bow, striking the walker in the temple.

She stopped looking at the limp walker and then looked his way.

She smiled softly.

It suddenly hit him. That was his family standing there. That was the woman he loved. The woman carrying his child, and he'd do anything to protect that family. He would die before he let anything happen to her and that unborn baby.

And it was high time she knew that.

He took a step forward and suddenly he was tackled from the side. He hit the ground hard. He rushed to bring up his bow only to find it was empty. He hadn't reloaded it yet. The walker's teeth snapped inches from his nose.

He used the bow to push the walker further away. He could hear Carol screaming and knew she'd rush out to save him, exposing herself and their baby. He gritted his teeth, heaved his arms out and shoved the walker to the side only to see a second walker rushing him from the woods.

All the air left Carol's lungs as she rushed out of the gate, nearly forgetting to secure the lock. She ran faster than she thought she could. She risked a glance behind her; no one else noticed, no one was rushing like her. She couldn't even see anyone anymore. She reached the little bridge, almost missing it, and plunging into the murky water. She could hear him now; hear his grunts as he fought off the walkers. She could hear their teeth snapping shut. Another burst of energy.

There, on the ground, Daryl was on his back. One of his arms was extended as far in front of him as he could reach, holding the walker at bay and his right leg kicking the second walker as far from him as he could while trying to reach for his knife that was tucked away in his boot.

She didn't stop long enough to evaluate the situation she just drove her knife into the top of the walker's head and used her foot to kick the other one away.

Daryl spun onto his knees and buried his knife into the soft tissue under the jaw, his blade reaching the brain; it fell over dead.

Carol gasped for air as she pulled Daryl to her. She held on to him so tight she thought she was going to crush him.

He held on to her just as tight.

In that moment he wasn't pretending to be this big bad ass he showed the world. In that moment he was scared and happy at the same time.

She pulled away frantic. She pulled his shirt up, rubbed her hands all over his stomach and chest and then moved around him to his back, checking his neck shoulders and back side.

She ran her hands through his hair.

She took his hands in hers and checked them as well looking closely at each finger.

She looked up to find him staring.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't bitten or scratched."

He held her gaze.

"I know."

A shuffling sound came from in the brush and Daryl grabbed Carols hand and pulled her along back to the safety of the prison.

Rick and Glenn were at the gate looked like they were headed out their way. They relaxed as soon as they saw them walking up.

"Problems?" Rick asked pulling the gate open.

"Nah. Just some walkers, nothing we can't handle." He took Carol's hand and intertwined their fingers, squeezing tight.

Carol was exhausted by the time they made it back inside. She was going to go to her cell and lie down and catch her breath for a minute but Daryl never let go of her hand. He led her to his perch.

There was a sleeping bag laid out like a bed and a blanket. She didn't even stop to ask she just fell on to it and pulled him down with her. She didn't care there were people awake she just wanted him as close as she could get.

Didn't care that two hours ago he left her standing in the tower after dropping a bomb on him about the new little one on the way and, as it happens, it was his.

She'd deal with that later. She almost lost him a few minutes ago. This day could have ended so much worse than him walking away in shock; she could be burying him right now. She pushed herself even closer to him. Her back pressed into his chest.

He rested his hand on her side rubbing gently trying to calm her.

He didn't think she needed to stress. Funny, it was always her calming him down.

He felt bad for taking off on her and he hadn't forgotten his new outlook.

He slowly slid his hand down over her belly and began to rub softly. He felt her stiffen up. He wasn't at all sure how far along she was. In fact he didn't know anything about the whole thing. Never spent much time with pregnant people besides Lori and even then he kept himself apart from it. And before the world went to hell he never spent much time with kids. The most time he'd spent with a baby was when ass kicker was born.

"How far along are you?"

She rolled her head so she could look at him. Her eyes shone bright. She was happy he was asking. She placed her hand over the one he was rubbing her belly with and caressed his hand.

"Hershel and I think two months; roughly speaking of course."

"Guess we got some work to do then."

"Guess so."

He leaned his head down almost touching their noses. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

He closed his eyes and softly pulled her shirt up and cupped her belly in his hand and whispered, "My little ass kicker." A warm fuzzy feeling crept over her whole body. Never in all the time she's know him, before they got close to date, had he shown such a tender, soft, almost unbearable emotion of love and affection. Her heart nearly doubled in size as she laid there looking at him. His eyes closed.

She wrapped her hand behind his head and pulled him to her lips and kissed him so hard yet so gentle at the same time. She let her emotions flow into him with that kiss and in that moment it was only them.

For the moment, anyways.

A/N: Thanks for reading …REVIEW! Thank You. WhyweWashWindows for beta-reading.


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